Labour Loses 1,300 Seats in 'Disastrous' Elections; Starmer Appoints Brown and Harman to Shore Up Party

Labour Loses 1,300 Seats in 'Disastrous' Elections; Starmer Appoints Brown and Harman to Shore Up Party

Keir Starmer is facing significant pressure from within the Labour Party to "shore up his position" following a "disastrous" performance in the May 2026 local elections, where the party lost over 1,300 council seats and control of the Welsh Senedd. In a move described by critics as a "desperate" attempt to steady his leadership, Starmer has brought back two senior Labour veterans in unpaid, part-time advisory roles: Gordon Brown: Appointed as the Special Envoy on Global Finance. He will advise on international financial cooperation to boost national security and economic resilience, drawing on his experience during the 2008 financial crisis. Harriet Harman: Appointed as an Adviser on Women and Girls. Her focus will be on tackling violence against women and girls, improving job opportunities, and addressing structural misogyny within government systems. Reactions and CriticismWhile Starmer insists these are "future-looking" appointments aimed at rebuilding public hope, the decision has met with sharp resistance: Internal Backlash: Some Labour MPs have expressed "bafflement," with one minister calling the move a "joke" and others, like Paula Barker, questioning why Starmer is turning to figures from the past instead of setting a timetable for his own departure.Opposition Mockery: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, whose party saw major gains in the elections, mocked the return of Brown, suggesting that relying on a former PM who lost a general election shows Labour is "doomed".Leadership Crisis: The appointments come amid mounting calls for Starmer to resign, following what some describe as the worst local election results in Labour's history.